Ballerina
by Jen328
Summary: Bella and Edward spend the day together, waiting for news that will change their lives. A snapshot of one day in the life of B&E, very fluffy and sweet. My first shot at writing, based on a picture prompt challenge; see my profile for the picture.


**Here's my first shot at writing. Warning, it's fluffy. And sweet. ;)**

**Based on a picture prompt challenge with ladysharkey1 and jadsmama.**

**Enormous thank yous to ladysharkey1 for betaing this, and to TanglingShadows and jadsmama for pre-reading.**

**Anything Twilight related belongs to Stephenie Meyer. The fluffy bunnies are all mine. **

* * *

"A rabbit? Come on, everyone says they see a rabbit. Use your imagination, Bella, what can you see?" Edward asked, gazing at the puffy clouds in the cerulean blue sky.

Bella tilted her head to the side and took another look. The cloud morphed from one fluid shape into another, the fluffy white bunny becoming a spouting whale, the whale becoming a ballerina. She smiled wistfully to herself, _a ballerina…_

"They change so quickly, I can barely keep track, one minute it's a bunny, one minute it's a whale." She kept the ballerina to herself, not quite ready to share that vision. "What do you see, baby?" she asked Edward.

"There's my car," he laughed, pointing to the big white blob to his left. "It's the Porsche, my dream car." Edward gestured to his right, "And there's your old truck." Bella's eyes followed his direction, laughing to herself about boys and cars.

"I just don't see it, baby," she said. "It's all fluffy bunnies to me."

* * *

Bella and Edward spent that Friday morning at Ryan's Field. They decided to spend the day playing at the park; enjoying each other, enjoying the beautiful day, instead of sitting around the house waiting for the phone call.

"Let's get out of the house," Bella suggested that morning. "It's been a stressful week. You've been working a lot of extra hours, and we could really just use some fun time."

"What kind of fun time?" Edward asked suggestively, wiggling his eyebrows and leering at his wife.

Bella laughed at his antics. "Not that much fun, baby. I was thinking more along the lines of some breakfast at the diner, we could hang out at the park, maybe catch a movie?"

"You don't want to stay close to the phone?" Edward asked.

"I'll take my cell," she said. "Dr. Weisner knows to call that number if she can't reach us at the house."

"You know what? You're right. Let's get out of the house. We could both use a day off from work, a day off from doctors, and a day off from worry." Edward gave Bella a gentle kiss. "Why don't you jump in the shower, I'll make some calls, and we'll head to the diner when you're ready?"

"Sounds good to me," Bella agreed, returning his kiss with a longer, steamier one of her own, and then she turned to take a shower.

She laughed as Edward grabbed her and pulled her to him. "What was _that_? You can't kiss me like that and walk away, my lovely wife." He gently tickled up and down her ribcage as he kissed her harder, pressing his body against hers.

Bella returned the kiss, grasping his thick hair in her hands. Edward wrapped his arms around her and held the back of her head while he kissed her deeply. But they pulled back and silently agreed to continue later.

* * *

A half hour later Bella and Edward sat together on the same side of the booth at their favorite diner, having breakfast. Breakfast at George's was a staple in their lives since they had gotten married five years ago. It was usually something saved for Sunday mornings after church, but special occasions warranted a visit, as well.

Edward and Bella always sat on the same side of the booth. On their first visit, their waitress thought they were waiting for more guests to join them, but after a few furtive glances back and forth between them, the newlyweds explained that they simply enjoyed the closeness. After their second visit to George's, the waitress did not even bat an eye at their seating arrangement.

"You nervous, baby?" Edward asked while they waited for their check. This process had taken so much out of Bella, but she rarely let it get to her. Waiting for the call from the doctor was awful. But she promised. Today was the day, the doctor promised.

"I'm really ok, you know?" she said. "I'm kind of resigned that what's meant to be will be, if that makes sense? It almost feels like it's out of our hands now. And yet, I feel almost… I don't know, peaceful I guess."

Edward gazed at his beautiful wife amazed as always, at her outlook on life. Her deep brown eyes almost seemed to glow from within, her love for her husband shined through them. "You amaze me, wife," he murmured.

"You're the amazing one," Bella whispered to Edward, feeling a little overwhelmed by his compliments. "You work the crazy hours at the hospital, you come home and help me around the house when I'm too tired from treatments and go with me to every appointment. _You _amaze _me_."

Edward took Bella's hand and kissed the back of it. He teased her to lighten the mood a little, "Let's agree that we're both absolutely awesome and pay our check so we can head to the park. I believe I owe you a push on the swings."

Bella looked up into his shining green eyes and smiled back at him. "I'm gonna hold you to that one, baby."

* * *

Ryan's Field was a park in their neighborhood named after a boy named Ryan who died of Leukemia when he was 13. It was a huge park; with several baseball diamonds, 2 full basketball courts and countless nets, a full sized field used for soccer, Lacrosse and football, and a gigantic playground with every amenity known to kids around the world. There was also a huge field scattered with wildflowers, with no specific purpose other than the kids used the area to fly kites or remote controlled airplanes.

The Library was located at the far end of the park, and the town built a concession stand on the other end so that there would always be a snack or a drink for the kids to enjoy. Families could easily spend the day at the park playing, reading, or just relaxing.

Bella and Edward arrived at Ryan's Field shortly after breakfast. They parked closest to the swings, and as always, Bella got out of the car and said, "One, two…"

"THREE!" Edward yelled as they raced to the swing sets.

Edward gave Bella a head start, as all good husbands will do. Even with the head start, Bella's natural lack of coordination, combined with Edward's longer legs and cat-like grace proved to be her downfall. She stumbled, righting herself quickly, but Edward rushed passed her and made it to the swing set first.

She bent at the waist, catching her breath, all the while laughing at Edward. "You win, you win! I'll push you this time!"

Edward just smiled at her. "Now, what kind of husband would I be if I let my wife push me on the swing?" he asked.

"Right," she said, rolling her eyes. "It's not because you're worried how ridiculous you'll look, or anything like that…"

Edward chuckled. "Nope, completely secure here, no problems with my masculinity at all," he teased. "Hop on the swing, baby."

Bella sat on the swing and let Edward push her for as long as he wanted. Times like these were meant to be enjoyed. It was really very simple. They did not have a lot of carefree time; time to just have fun. Being married with both of them working was very stressful sometimes. Edward's responsibilities at the hospital and Bella's job at the college took up most of their time. But they were happy, they had worked hard to get where they were. It was just that something was _missing._ And four years later, it was _still_ missing. But maybe… Maybe today that would change.

As Bella got lost in her memories, Edward was having daydreams of his own. Bella was strong and always so supportive, and she gave to everyone. It was so hard for him to not be able to give her what she wanted. He would move Heaven and Earth if he thought it would make a difference. Edward found himself getting frustrated again, and pulled back from it.

_That shit never helps, _he thought. Four years of this also included four years of intense therapy. They had heard all the well-meaning comments from everyone and had to learn how to handle them.

_When are you going to start a family?_

_You're not getting any younger._

_Don't you want kids?_

_It'll happen when the time's right._

_Just relax and don't worry._

No one ever said anything hurtful on purpose, but sometimes, _sometimes,_ it was too much to hear. But Edward and Bella were both aware enough to realize that this was bigger than them. They would figure out how to live their lives with this added twist; they would just need a little help from the professionals.

_Thank God for those professionals, _he thought. They both knew that they handled things better with help and they talked about things more. While nothing was perfect and they certainly had their share of arguments, the therapy made dealing with _this _situation easier. They knew that no matter what, they were never to blame one another, and to always remain united against the odds. _

"Hello? Earth to Edward? Come in, handsome." Bella's words pulled him out of his reverie. Edward shook off the remaining melancholy his thoughts had brought him and turned a crooked smile on his wife.

"Where'd ya go, baby?" she asked, savoring the love in his gaze.

"Just thinking about how grateful I am for the shrinks, babe," he said. "If it weren't for them, we'd be home, stressing out, probably bickering, instead of here in the sunshine enjoying this beautiful day."

Bella chucked. "You're probably right. I'm glad we took Dr. Weisner's advice about seeing the therapist. Our visits to the parks are almost as therapeutic as an hour in her office. It makes a huge difference in your outlook, doesn't it?"

Edward stopped her swing and pulled her off. "Yeah, it really does," he said. Then he looked up into the sky at the myriad of shapes the clouds formed. "Let's go find some shapes in the clouds."

Bella whined halfheartedly, "I'm not as good at that as you are. All I ever see are fluffy bunnies and kittens."

In truth, Bella loved this side of Edward and only whined so that he'd argue his point. His creative side was such an enigma to her; he was a doctor, for Pete's sake. He saw black and white, right and wrong, yes and no. But put the man on his back in a field of flowers with a sky full of clouds overhead and he could create a masterpiece from his imagination. It was part of the child that still lived inside Edward to this day; his gentle and caring side that helped make him a great doctor. Not just because he was technically proficient, but because he cared. He would make such a great dad some day.

_Please, please, some day soon, _she thought.

Edward kissed her hard and quick and said, "Come on, baby. One, two…"

"THREE!" Bella shouted and they ran for the field of flowers, the perfect place to view cloud shapes.

This time Bella's head start worked in her favor and she beat Edward to their most favorite spot to lie down and watch the clouds. Edward may have let her win, but it did not matter. It wasn't really a race; just a way to get the blood pumping and the adrenaline moving.

She waited for him to join her and then threw her arms around his neck, pulled his head down until his mouth met hers. Then she kissed him until she could feel herself become almost lightheaded with the sensation.

"What was that for?" Edward asked when their kiss ended. "Not that I'm complaining or anything…"

Bella just smiled at him for a minute. _I could stare at him forever_, she thought. "That, my wonderful, adorable, handsome husband was simply because I love you with everything I am. I don't think I tell you that enough," she answered.

"I love you with all that I am," Edward whispered. "And you tell me plenty," he added with a smirk.

"Now, on your back, woman!"

* * *

The jangling ringtone of Bella's cell phone interrupted her thoughts of boys and cars and fluffy bunnies and ballerinas in the sky. They had watched the clouds for what seemed like hours, content in each other's company; his arm under her head, the grass crisp and pungent beneath them. Their legs knocked together as they were startled out of their serenity, and Bella sat up to retrieve the phone from her pocket.

"Hu... Hello?" Bella stuttered into the phone.

"Yes. Yes, this is Bella Cullen. Hello, Dr. Weisner." Bella gripped Edward's hand and he felt her nails digging into his skin.

Edward felt the adrenaline rush all over again as his body reacted to the sound of the doctor's name coming from his wife's lips. He sat up in front of Bella and held her hand while she spoke to the doctor, murmuring a prayer over and over in his head. _Please, please, this time, please._

"Yes, Dr. Weisner, I understand. Yes, we'll see you on the 27th. Yes, thank you," Bella said, her voice monotone and even, scarily so. She hung up the phone.

Bella looked up at Edward with tears in her eyes. She gazed upon the face of the man she had loved for nearly seven years, and saw the worry, the love, the fear, the hope and the hurt all reflected in his beautiful eyes. And then she felt the tears start to roll down her face.

"Baby, tell me," Edward pleaded. "We can handle anything together, just tell me."

"The in-vitro worked, baby. I'm pregnant. You're going to be a dad," Bella said with a smile.

Edward touched her face reverently, and whispered, "You're going to be a mom, baby. You're going to be the best mom ever."

The tears continued to stream down Bella's face as she pulled Edward's head close to hers and kissed him, softly at first, and then with ever-growing intensity. Edward wrapped his arms around her and brought them both to their feet, enveloping her within his body, protecting her, while devouring her mouth with his. His tongue stroked her lips, inviting them to open, and then slipped into her mouth, sliding against her tongue in a kiss that left them both breathless.

They separated to take a breath and let their foreheads rest against each other. They whispered in awed voices of the miracle of life that they had been blessed with. They laughed in happiness at their fortune, because they were truly fortunate. Tears of happiness continued to roll down their cheeks.

* * *

They lay back down on the crisp grass to discuss the future Baby Cullen, while the future parents continued to watch the clouds form shapes in the sky.

"Boy or girl, which do you want? Does it matter to you?" Edward asked. He knew that she didn't care; they had had these discussions for years.

"A girl, honey. A little girl with your beautiful reddish brown hair and green eyes, or maybe my brown hair and your green eyes. As long as she has your green eyes." They both laughed.

Edward was curious. "You never had a preference before over a boy or girl, what changed?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing changed, it still doesn't matter to me," she said. "Do you remember when we were looking at the shapes in the clouds and I saw a bunny and a whale? There was one shape I neglected to mention, baby."

Edward was intrigued. "What was it, Bella?"

"I saw a ballerina, Edward. We're going to have a daughter."

* * *

**A/N**

And there you have it, my very first story. While the story itself was written recently, the desire to do so has been months, if not years in the making.

I need to thank TanglingShadows for her neverending support and encouragement, jadsmama and ladysharkey1 for including me in the picture prompt that resulted in this story, and their constant support during the whole process.

Thank you to quietruby for her faith that yes, I could do this, and to Stacy for telling me to bite the bullet and go for it.

Thank you to chele the original for her support as well as pictures of the pretty.

Ladies, your support means the world to me and I love you all for it.

I'd love feedback, so feel free to review and leave me some. Thanks so much for reading!

Jen


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